Bullwinkle J. Moose
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Bullwinkle J. Moose is a fictional character in the 1959–1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show, often collectively referred to as Rocky and Bullwinkle, produced by Jay Ward and Bill Scott. When the show changed networks from ABC to NBC, its name was changed to The Bullwinkle Show, reflecting the popularity of Bullwinkle.
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[edit] Creation
Ward and his then-assistant Alex Anderson created Bullwinkle for The Frostbite Falls Review, a storyboard idea which was never developed into a series. They gave him the name "Bullwinkle" after Clarence Bullwinkel, a car dealer, because they thought it was a funny name. Both Bullwinkle and Rocky were given the middle initial "J" in reference to Ward.
[edit] Biography
Bullwinkle shared a house with his best friend Rocky in the fictional small town of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota, a parody of the real-life American town of International Falls, Minnesota. Bullwinkle's college alma mater was "Wossamotta U."
[edit] Personality
Bullwinkle was noted for being well-meaning, but also quite dim-witted, which made for a source of jokes during the show's run. Despite this, the so-called "moronic moose" often aided the brains of the "moose-and-squirrel" duo, Rocky, during their various adventures. Although on opposite ends of the I.Q. scale, he and the "plucky squirrel" had a shared sense of optimism, persistence and traditional ethics and moral standards.
Bullwinkle also hosted other segments of the program, including: "Mr. Know-It-All," where he tried to demonstrate his supposed expertise at a subject, such as disarming bombs or curing hiccups; "Bullwinkle's Corner," where the moose would attempt to read poetry; and various interstitial drop-ins. In one classic running gag, Bullwinkle would attempt to pull a rabbit out of a top hat (to Rocky's dismissal: "Again?!" or "But that trick never works!", and Bullwinkle's canonical rejoinder, "Nothing up my sleeve...Presto!" or "This time, for sure! Presto!"), only to pull out something unexpected instead (such as a bear), and occasionally even Rocky himself. After each failed attempt, Rocky would segue to the next sketch by saying, "And now, here's something we hope you'll really like!"
[edit] Voice
Bill Scott, Ward's partner and head writer of the series, was the original voice of Bullwinkle. In the 2000 Universal Studios film The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Bullwinkle was voiced by Ward fan[citation needed] Keith Scott (no relation to Bill).
[edit] Other Apperarnces
In addition to the television series and movies, Bullwinkle has appeared in television commercials, a newspaper comic strip, lunch boxes, and a coloring book.
[edit] External links
- Hokey Smoke! Rocky and Bullwinkle
- My Native Land Sir Walter Scott poem with Bullwinkle voice impression
